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Fritruary  16,  189?.- • 
JOURNAL  OF  HuRTICuLTURE  AND  jCOTTAGE  GARDEA^EB. 
Recent  eather  in  London. — Rain  has  fallen  more  or  'ess 
each  day  sines  last  Saturday,  and  the  wind,  on  more  than  one  night,  has 
blown  with  terrific  force.  At  intervals  (here  have  been  bright  gleams  of 
sunshine,  but  on  no  occasion  have  they  lasted  very  long.  The  morning 
of  luesday  was  very  wet,  and  showers  fell  afterwards,  particularlv  in  the 
evening.  On  Wednesday,  at  the  time  of  going  to  press,  it  was  fine. 
eather  in  the  North. — The  morning  of  the  7th  showed 
4  of  irost,  rjiaw  set  in  in  the  afternoon,  and  three  very  wet  days 
followed.  Saturday  was  fine,  with  heavy  rain  in  the  evening,  and  Sunday 
was,  especially  in  the  afternoon,  fresh  and  springlike.  Throughout 
almost  all  Monday  rain  was  persistent  and  heavy,  with  a  coldish  wind 
from  the  east. — B.  D.,  S,  Perthshire. 
—  Presentation  to  the  Aviary  in  Stanley  Park.— The 
inhabitants  of  the  City  of  Liverpool  in  this  poorer  part  will  be  glad  to 
learn  that  IMr.  'William  Cross,  the  celebrated  naturalist  of  Liverpool,  has 
ofifered  to  stock  at  his  own  expense  the  aviary  presented  to  the  city  by 
Councillor  J,  R.  Grant.  This,  with  the  handsome  new  Palm  house 
presented  by  IMr.  Yates  Thompson,  and  which  is  being  built  by  the  well 
known  firm  of  IMessrs.  :Mackenzie  &  Moncur  of  London  and  Edinburgh, 
should  stir  up  a  great  interest  amongst  the  working  classes,  and  make 
them  appreciate  the  object  lessons  of  nature  and  art  brought  close  to  their 
doors. — R. 
-  Potatoes  and  Lime. — In  talking  with  a  gardening  friend  a 
short^^time  ago,  the  subject  in  some  way  turned  to  the  “noble  tuber.” 
Oh,  said  my  friend,  “  taters  do  no  good  in  our  garden,  they  grow  so 
much  top  and  co^ne  so  badly  at  the  root.”  Knowing  what  an  old  garden 
it  was,  I  said,  “You  should  use  some  lime.”  “Lime,”  said  he,  “  what- 
ever’s  the  good  of  lime  for  ‘taters’?  I  don’t  believe  in  these  new¬ 
fangled  notions.”  I  endeavoured  to  explain  th.it  the  idea  was  not  at  all 
new  in  truth,  I  had  read  in  the  Journal  that  the  use  of  lime  was  known 
to  the  old  Romans.  “  Ah.’‘  said  my  neighbour,  “I  suppose  thev  did  a 
goodish  bit  ot  building  at  one  time.”  I  hurriedly  changed  the  subject. — 
ISubmeeged. 
Reading  Gardeners’  Association.— A  very  interesting 
teture  on  ‘  Lestructive  and  Injurious  Sawfiies  ”  was  given  on  Monday 
f  \  oning  last,  the  13th  inst.,  before  the  members  of  the  above  Association  by 
IMr.  I .  H.  Foiilkes.B.Sc  ,  Edin  ,  of  the  Reading  College.  In  introducing  the 
subject,  the  lecturer  said  that  Sawfiies  belonged  to  the  order  Ilymenoptera, 
which  included  all  those  insects  that  had  wings  of  a  membranous 
character,  and  that  this  particular  order  was  also  divided  into  various 
classe.'.  The  Sawfiies  touched  upon  were  the  Apple,  Gooseberry  and 
urrant,  Cherry  and  Pear,  and  the  Turnip.  Their  time  of  appearing, 
method  of  attack,  the  best  means  to  ta  ;e  for  their  prevention  or  destruc¬ 
tion,  and  the  various  stages  of  growth  were  fully  dealt  with,  the  latter 
roo  e  particularly  so,  by  the  aid  of  several  illustrations  shown  by  the 
irnelighf.  Many  queslitns  were  asked,  and  ably  answered,  and  an 
interesting  discussion  took  place.  A  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Foulkes 
brought  the  meeting  to  a  close. 
A  Friend. — The,  following  may  be  of  interest  to  those  who 
regard  the  toad  as  the  gardener’s  friend.  For  s^'me  time  past  we  have 
kept  a  toad  in  our  stove,  chiefly  to  assist  in  keeping  down  woodlice,  and 
t  is  it  has  done  we  are  assured.  But  w’e  are  indebted  to  our  “friend”  in 
another  way.  In  all  cur  houses  wo  are  troubled,  more  or  less,  with  what 
take  to  be  a  minute  species  of  ant,  which  feeds  on  the  excrement  of 
mealy  bug  and  scale  ;  various  attempts  to  exterminate  this  little  pest 
lave  prov'ed  fruitless.  One  night  recently,  while  searching  for  a  slug 
that  had  been  making  free  with  some  Orchid  bloorns,  I  came  across  the 
toad,  stationed  at  the  base  ot  an  iron  rod  which  supports  the  stem  of  a 
Stephanotis,  cind  watching  fur  a  short  time  I  noticed  the  toad  thrust  out 
its  tongue  repeatedly  towards' the  rod.  Curious  to  know  the  meaning  of 
this  I  began  to  scrutinise,  and  then  saw  that  the  toad  vvas  licking  ofi'  the 
ants,  wEich  were  continually  passing  up  and  down  the ‘rod  from  the 
Stephanotis.  The  tdad  was  left  undisturbed,  and  the  following  morning 
was  lonhd  at  his  post.  Those  who  are  acquainted  with  fhis  an't  may 
imagiife  the  quantity  a  toad  would  consume  in  one  night,  arid  to  see  it 
feeding  would,  I  think,  assure  the  most  credulous  person  that  he  is 
indeed  a  friend. — Parvo. 
- -  Eaters  of  the  Ivy. — I  have  lately  come  to  the  conclusion  • 
that  many  more  caterpillars  than  naturalists  are  aware  of  feed  upon  the 
Ivy  during  autumn  and  winter  ;  they  secrete  themselves  amongst  its 
leaves  and  twigs  to  hybernaie,  and  then  occasionally  nibble  the  younger 
portions  of  the  plants  ;  also,  I  have  observed  that  when  growing  upon 
banks  Ivy  is  at  times  considerably  eaten  by  snails  and  slugs,  though  we 
should  not  have  supposed  it  would  have  been  food  to  their  taste. — 
Entomologist. 
-  Three  Good  New  Annuals. —  In  looking  through  the 
enormous  number  of  annuals  in  cultivation  it  would  almost  appear  as  if 
we  had  sufficient  for  all  purposes,  but  improved  types  continue  to  appear» 
and  three  decidedly  above  average  merit  for  beds  are  now-  mentioned. 
Matricaria  eximia  Golden  Ball  is  a  gem,  and  must  be  seen  to  be  appre¬ 
ciated.  It  grows  into  a  compact  bush  of  about  a  foot  high,  and  almost 
the  same  in  diameter.  The  double  quilled  flowers  are  an  intense  golden 
}  ellow  colour ;  in  fact  a  Pompon  Chrysanthemum  in  miniature  would 
almost  describe  it.  For  a  long  border  plant  or  for  bedding  it  is  admirable. 
Candytuft  Rose  Cardinal  will  be  found  a  welcome  addition  to  this  popular 
family,  the  distinct  rich  rose  cardinal  colour  showing  to  great  advantage. 
Candytuft  Giant  Hyacinth-flowered  white,  is  the  third.  The  spikes  of 
bloom  sometimes  measure  over  7  inches  in  length.  For  cut  flowers  it 
will  be  found  of  great  benefit,  wdiilst  it  will  quite  supersede  the  old  white 
variety  for  bedding. — R.  P,  R, 
• -  Technical  Horticulture. — "W’hen  at  Kingston,  on  the  11th 
inslant,  was  opened  an  exhibition  of  the  work  performed  by  students 
in  the  various  County  Council  classes  for  plumbing,  wood  carving, 
modelling,  painting,  and  other  of  the  semi-mechanical  arts,  I  could  but 
wish  it  were  possible  to  create,  in  the  same  way,  an  exhibition  of  what  is 
being  taught  and  accomplished  in  horticulture  in  the  County  of  Surrey 
also.  But  the  operations  of  gardening  have  to  be  conducted  on  the  soil, 
and  it  is  not  practicable  to  take  to  any  centre  a  few  scores  of  the  best 
boys’  gardens,  much  less  of  allotments  and  cottage  gardens,  and  show 
them  as  products  of  technical  instruction.  Indeed,  it  too  frequently 
happens  that  all  the  training  thus  exemplified  is  so  situated  that  its 
practical  efl'ects  are  seen  by  few  but  the  actual  workers,  hence  relatively 
few  persons  know  what  is  being  accomplished.  This  is  specially  the  case 
with  cottage  gardens,  many  of  the  best  of  w'hich  lie  remote  from  populous 
districts,  whilst  even  groups  of  allotments  in  rural  localities  are  seldom 
seen  by  visitors.  In  some  few  places,  notably  at  Richmond  and  Surbiton, 
a  wAlk  round  the  allotments  on  Sundays  is  common  recreation.  That  is 
not  the  rule  in  country  districts.  Very  few  persons,  again,  visit  the  boys’ 
gardens,  as  these  are  usually  found  in  enclosed  grounds.  But  the 
cottager  and  the  allotment  holder,  and  here  and  there  where  the  local 
people  offer  encouragement,  the  boys  from  their  school  gardens,  have 
opportunities  to  display  publicly  at  their  local  shows  examples  of  their 
produce,  the  result  of  technical  training.  No  doubt,  could  a  great  county 
exhibition  of  such  produce  be  held  in  various  county  centres  annually,  the 
display  would  be  a  remarkable  one,  and  would  afford  effective  evidence 
of  the  value  of  the  technical  teaching  in  gardening  which  is  furnished. 
—A.  D 
-  Sherborne  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Society. 
— At  the  last  meeting  there  was  a  large  af’endance,  and  a  splendid  show 
of  dessert  and  kitchen  Apples.  An  excellent  address  was  given  by  Mr. 
Crook,  of  Forde  Abbey'  Gardens,  on  “Profitable  Fruit  Culture.” 
Before  dealing  with  his  subject  he  made  reference  to  the  death  of  the 
late  Mr.  '\V.  G.  Pragnell,  the  head  gardener  at  Sherborne  Castle,  and 
spoke  in  very  high  terms  of  the  deceased,  whose  acquaintance  he  had 
enjoyed  for  about  thirty  years.  He  also  remarked  that  his  successor 
was  also  an  old  friend  of  his,  and  held  a  high  position  in  the  gardening 
world.  Referring  to  fruit  culture,  he  asserted  that  this  country  was 
increasing  in  its  demands  for  good  fruit  and  vegetables,  and  for  anyone 
who  cared  to  embark  in  the  cultivation  there  was  a  good  opening.  He 
maintained  that  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  the  qualities  of  which  it  took  the 
English  thirty  years  to  recognise,  had  been  pronounced  by  expert  judges 
to  be  the  best  Apple  of  the  day’,  and  a  man  who  understood  his  business 
would  not  sell  it  for  less  than  28.  per  dozen.  The  West  of  England 
was  one  of  the  best  parts  in  this  country  to  grow  fruit ;  but  what  did 
they  find  in  their  orchards  ?  Miserable  relics.  If  they’  planted  Apples 
like  the  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin  they  would  make  money  instead  of  sending 
it  out  to  America,  Tasmania,  and  California.  He  had  seen  Blenheim 
Oranges  in  the  Y'eovil  Market  for  which  3J.  per  pound  was  asked,  and 
he  had  gathered  110  lbs.  of  fruit  off  of  a  Lane’s  Prince  Albert,  which  was 
only  7  feet  high  and  7  feet  in  diameter  ;  and  another  tree,  Seaton  House, 
which  was  introduced  from  Scotland,  and  bears  early,  would  pay  to 
grow.  Mr.  Crook  also  gave  hints  on  storage,  and  concluded  a  very 
interesting  and  practical  address,  amidst  applause. 
